Shiny Mech Weekend Is Live in RIFT: Daily Quests, Chaos Motes, and Artifact Eyes

RIFT has a live event worth paying attention to right now, and this one actually gives players a decent amount to do in a short window.

According to the official Steam community post, Shiny Mech Weekend is active through March 16, 2026, bringing back Mech Weekend and Shiny Shenanigans at the same time.

What is live right now

The official post says the event combines two pieces of content:

• Mech Weekend

• Shiny Shenanigans 

That makes this more than a single-purpose CTA. It is a short event stack that mixes combat objectives, daily quest grinding, and collectible hunting.

How Mech Weekend works

The official instructions are pretty direct. Players can head to:

• Sanctum (/setwaypoint 7380 3077)

• Meridian (/setwaypoint 6124 5231)

• Tempest Bay (/setwaypoint 12944 11579)

From there, you can pick up Daily Quests, queue for Warfronts, use the LFG tool for Expert Dungeons, collect Mech Components, or join the zone event. 

The biggest practical detail in the whole post is this one:

Completing all daily quests rewards a total of 65 Chaos Motes per character every day. 

That is the kind of number that makes an event immediately worth checking, especially for players who are already in the mood to farm event currency.

The key quest callout

The official post specifically highlights “Defender of the Elements,” which sends players into:

• Vostigar Peaks

• Silverwood

• Freemarch

• Shimmersand

• Stillmoor (steamcommunity.com)

So this is not just a hub-and-done event. It wants players moving around Telara and actually engaging with the broader world.

What Shiny Shenanigans adds

Alongside the Mech content, Shiny Shenanigans adds Artifact Piñatas scattered throughout Telara. Hunt them down, and the official post says you can receive artifact sets that unlock “Artifact Eyes,” special cosmetic abilities that make your eyes glow. Each artifact set unlocks another shiny color. 

That gives the event a nice split personality:

• one half is currency farming and mech chaos,

• the other half is collectible hunting and cosmetics.

Honestly, that is a pretty good combo for a long-running MMO trying to keep short event windows interesting.

Why this is worth a post

This is not just a calendar reminder anymore. It is a live official event with:

• daily quests,

• up to 65 Chaos Motes per character per day,

• mech-focused objectives,

• and collectible rewards through the Artifact Eyes system. That is enough to support a proper “what’s live now” RIFT article instead of another vague event preview.

If you only remember one thing

Shiny Mech Weekend is live through March 16, and it offers up to 65 Chaos Motes per character per day plus Artifact Eyes cosmetics from Shiny Shenanigans.

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RIFT Event Currencies Explained: Chaos Motes vs Auroral Doubloons (2026)

RIFT has a special talent for throwing multiple event currencies at you at the same time and then acting like that is totally normal.

Right now, the two names you actually need to care about are Chaos Motes and Auroral Doubloons. They are tied to different events, earned in different ways, and meant for different reward tracks. If you mix them up, you are not alone. Telara has been quietly doing that to people for years.

The short version

Here’s the clean answer:

• Chaos Motes are tied to Arclight Ascendancy.

• Auroral Doubloons are tied to Carnival of the Ascended.

That means they are not interchangeable, not farmed the same way, and not something you want to “figure out later” on the final day of an event.

Chaos Motes: the Arclight currency

If you are doing Arclight Ascendancy, you are farming Chaos Motes. The event is currently listed as running from March 6 to March 13, and the event rewards include Arclight-themed items and mounts purchasable with Chaos Motes.

How to earn Chaos Motes

Arclight is built around a quick daily loop. The event’s featured activities are:

• Arclight Time Trials

• Recharge and Refit

The whole point of this currency is speed and routine. This is your “log in, do two things, get paid” event currency.

What Chaos Motes are best for

Chaos Motes are mainly used on Arclight rewards, especially the event’s featured mounts. CADRIFT’s event guide lists multiple Arclight mounts, with some specifically available for Chaos Motes.

Best strategy for Chaos Motes

Treat Chaos Motes like a daily sprint:

• Do the event dailies

• Prioritize limited-looking rewards first

• Do not wait until the end to spend them

If there is a classic RIFT mistake here, it is farming the currency correctly and then forgetting the store exists until the event is already halfway out the door.

Auroral Doubloons: the Carnival currency

If you are doing Carnival of the Ascended, you are dealing with Auroral Doubloons. Gamigo’s official 2026 Carnival post says the event begins March 1, 2026, and Doubloons are exchanged for rewards in the Carnival shop.

How to earn Auroral Doubloons

The most important source is the weekly quest from Dantwor Honey-Tongue in Tempest Bay: “Clean House at the Carnival.” The official post says it requires 50 Carnival mini-games and rewards 2 Auroral Doubloons.

Gamigo also points players toward daily quests tied to Carnival activities, while CADRIFT notes that you can earn 2 Auroral Doubloons every week during the event, for a total of 6 across the full run. CADRIFT also notes that token boosts do not work on Auroral Doubloons.

What Auroral Doubloons are best for

Auroral Doubloons are your premium-feeling anniversary currency. These are the ones you want to treat carefully, because the supply is more limited and the weekly matters more than random daily spam. They are used in the Carnival shop for event rewards.

Best strategy for Auroral Doubloons

Treat Doubloons like a weekly marathon:

• Start the weekly early

• Build around weekly progress first

• Use dailies to support that progress, not replace it

This is the currency where procrastination becomes a lifestyle problem.

So which one should you farm first?

That depends on your schedule.

If you only have a little time each day, Chaos Motes are the easier win because Arclight is built around short repeatable tasks.

If you are planning your week more deliberately, Auroral Doubloons deserve more respect because the weekly structure makes them feel more limited and more valuable.

Simple rule to remember

Chaos Motes = daily sprint
Auroral Doubloons = weekly marathon

That is the easiest way to keep them straight, and honestly, it is probably the only memory trick RIFT should be legally allowed to demand from people juggling anniversary events.

What to prioritize first

A good practical order looks like this:

• Spend Chaos Motes first on the most clearly event-exclusive Arclight rewards, especially mounts.

• Spend Auroral Doubloons on the Carnival items you know you actually want, because they are weekly-gated enough that “I’ll decide later” is usually bad planning.

If you only remember one thing

Chaos Motes are the currency you farm fast. Auroral Doubloons are the currency you plan around.

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RIFT Arclight Ascendancy: How to Spend the Final Days Before March 13

Arclight Ascendancy is almost out of runway in RIFT, which means this is the point where “I’ll get to it later” stops being a plan and starts being a mistake.

The official event post says Arclight Ascendancy ends on March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC, and both daily quests reward Chaos Motes that can be spent in the CTA store.

What to prioritize first

If you are logging in during the final stretch, your goal is not to do everything. Your goal is to get the most value with the least wasted time.

That means your order should be:

1. Do both daily quests

2. Check your Chaos Motes total

3. Buy the rewards you actually care about before the event disappears

The two dailies are still the core of the event:

• Arclight Time Trials

• Recharge and Refit

According to CADRIFT, each of those quests rewards 10 Chaos Motes, so the event is basically built around a quick two-quest loop for steady currency.

Fastest way to farm Chaos Motes now

If you are short on time, the efficient play is simple:

1) Knock out Arclight Time Trials first

This is the race quest where you follow the red orbs, pass through the checkpoints, and use Nitro Boost to finish on time. CADRIFT notes that depending on lag, it can help to pause briefly on each circle to make sure you get credit.

2) Then do Recharge and Refit

This sends you to Scarlet Gorge to loot Intact Power Supplies from constructs near Frayworn Rock and Ironroot Draw. CADRIFT also notes that high-level characters may need to mentor down, because the mobs are level 27 and need to still grant XP.

That is the real “end of event” rhythm: race first, construct farming second, then cash out.

What to buy first

CADRIFT’s Arclight page lists five mounts tied to the event, with some available for Chaos Motes and others for credits. It specifically notes that two of the mounts are available for event currency from the vendor in Moonshade Highlands.

The smart buy order is:

• Event-currency mounts first

• Then any reward you know you actually want

• Then optional extras like dimension items, if that is your thing

And there is one important warning here: CADRIFT says the mounts sold for event currency are bind on pickup, so make sure you buy them on the correct character.

Easy mistake to avoid

The classic Arclight mistake is not failing the race. It is farming the currency correctly and then spending too long “deciding later” what to buy.

The event page is very clear that the quests and rewards go away on March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC, so this is not the week to leave currency sitting around.

Bonus tip for alt players

CADRIFT also notes that completing both dailies earns the “Kicked The Tires, Checked The Warranty” achievement, which sends an Arclight trove by mail. It also says you can do this on multiple alts for additional chances at the mount from the trove.

So if you are one of those RIFT players who sees “alt opportunity” and immediately blacks out for three hours, yes, there is extra value here.

If you only remember one thing

Do the two dailies, buy the mount rewards first, and do not carry Chaos Motes into a deadline you already knew was coming.

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RIFT Event Currency Guide (2026): Chaos Motes vs Auroral Doubloons — What to Farm and What to Buy

 

RIFT is doing what it does best right now: stacking events on top of events and quietly daring your inventory to keep up.

If you’ve logged in recently and thought, “Wait… am I farming Chaos Motes or Auroral Doubloons — and why do both sound like energy drinks?” — this guide is for you.

Here’s the practical breakdown of the two currencies you’re most likely to see during the current event cycle, what each one is used for, and how to avoid the classic mistake: grinding the right currency… and buying the wrong thing.

Quick answer: They’re for different events (and different stores)

Chaos Motes are tied to Arclight Ascendancy.
Auroral Doubloons are tied to Carnival of the Ascended (the anniversary event).

That means two different loops, two different reward tracks, and two different “don’t forget to spend it” deadlines.

Chaos Motes (Arclight Ascendancy)

What it’s for:
Chaos Motes are the event currency you earn during Arclight Ascendancy, and you spend them in the Call to Action (CTA) store for Arclight-themed rewards (including featured mounts and event items).

How you get it (fast):

• Arclight Time Trials (daily): checkpoint race with speed boosts

• Recharge and Refit (daily): collect Intact Power Supplies from constructs in Scarlet Gorge

How to farm it efficiently:

• Treat it like a two-quest daily loop. It’s designed to be quick and repeatable.

• If you’re short on time, do both dailies and log out. That’s literally the whole model.

What to buy first (practical priority):

1. Limited/featured mounts (the stuff you can’t easily replace later)

2. Cosmetics you actually want (don’t “collect dust” buy)

3. Anything that feels time-limited or event-exclusive

Common Chaos Mote mistake:
Farming every day… then forgetting to spend before the cutoff.

Auroral Doubloons (Carnival of the Ascended)

What it’s for:
Auroral Doubloons are the currency you earn during Carnival of the Ascended — the anniversary celebration event — and you spend them on Carnival rewards.

How you get it (fast):

• Weekly + daily quests tied to Carnival activities and mini-games

• The weekly is usually the “big value” piece, because it pays off best when you start early.

How to farm it efficiently:

• Start the weekly as early as possible.

• Then add dailies when you have time, not the other way around.

What to buy first (practical priority):

1. Rewards that are clearly event-exclusive

2. Cosmetics/mounts you know you’ll actually use

3. Anything with a “you’ll regret skipping this” vibe

Common Doubloon mistake:
Doing random Carnival activities without tracking weekly progress, then having to panic-grind at the end.

The best strategy if you want both currencies

If you’re trying to earn both Chaos Motes and Auroral Doubloons without turning RIFT into a second job, keep it simple:

• Daily: Arclight’s two dailies (short loop, fast currency)

• Weekly: Carnival weekly (start early, finish gradually)

• Extra time: Carnival dailies, only if you feel like it

“What should I do today?” cheat sheet

If you have…

10 minutes:
Do the two Arclight dailies (Chaos Motes).

20–30 minutes:
Do Arclight dailies + push Carnival weekly progress.

An hour:
Finish Arclight, then do Carnival dailies/mini-games until you’re happy.

If you only remember one thing…

Chaos Motes are a daily sprint. Auroral Doubloons are a weekly marathon.
Play them like that, and you’ll get the rewards without the burnout.

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